Little Dust and Other 
Poems 



By Richard R.^Kirk 

With Decorations by Jan W. Vonesh 




CHICAGO 

THE BOOKFELLOWS 

CHRISTMAS, 1920 



One thoiLsand copies of this hooTcly joy have heen printed for 

The Bookfellows ly Luther Albertus Brewer, BooTcfellow No. 

14, just he fore Christmas, 1920. 

Acknowledgment is made to Contemporary Verse and The 

Boston Transcript for permission to republish poems in this 

hooTclet, 

Mr. Kirk the author is Bookfellow No. 249 and Mr. Vonesh 

the illustrator is Bookfellow No. 15. 



Copyright 1920 by 
Flora Warren Seymour 



)) CI, A 6 4 -^ '1, 7 "^"^ TORCH PRESS 

'■ ^ ' CEDAR RAPIDS 



IOWA 



^' 1920 



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Little Dust and Other Poems 




LITTLE DUST 

NTIL I saw the little dust 

Of Cassar in an urn 

I thought with those who say, We go 

And never more return. 

But when I saw the little dust 
That would not mend a wall, 
I knew that God could never make 
Myself or you so small. 



GOD STOOPS 

As children gather flowers, 
So fain is God to gather 
The fragrant flowers that blossom 
In His garden. 

The little prayers that brush His garment 's hem, 
God stoops to gather them. 



WE VISIT MY ESTATE 

That cloud, now ! — Just below that strip of blue ! 
You like it ? — That's mine too ! 



so BROTHERLY! 

A tree, as I 
Was passing by, 
Took off my hat, 
And laughed thereat ! 
Good comrade tree! 
To laugh with me. 

I laid me down 
With face a-frown; 
A little brook 
With laughter shook. 
Then, comrade true, 
I laughed with you! 
In meadow land 
On either hand 
They greeted me 
So brotherly! . . . 



REWARDS 

Who may this flower be, 

I can guess; 

And whose the loveliness 

Of that fair tree ; 

But who became this stone, 

I do not know ; 

Some coldly cruel one 

Of long ago. 



THE MAKE-BELIEVE 

As I bent down to spy a flower, 
Or reached to touch a spray, 
Or shut my eyes to hear a bird, 
You smiled and slipped away. 

I know my part, and look and look. 
Feign wonder, go resigned. 
It's yonder rock or yonder tree 
That keeps me, seeing, blind. 



THE SUN KEPT IN 

I think the Sun will be right glad again. 
To see our Garden, after all this rain ! 



HASTE 

I dream, I dream, I dream . . . 
I run, I run 

To catch my dream, a bubble in the sun 
I see but cannot touch, 
I love and love o 'ermuch ! 
I dream, I dream, and day is almost done. 
I run, I run . . . and, oh, the stars o 'erhead. 
And oh, the flowers, the sweet bruised flowers 
I tread! 



MY LITTLE DONKEY 

My little donkey sometimes overlooks 
My garden like a reader of strange books, 
As if to say, Why flowers ? Dear little ass ! 
Too honest to deny that you love grass ! 



WHAT MEN DISPRIZE 

"Wise talk of foolish things 

I cannot prize ; 

I must talk like a child, 

Of rivers and mountains and skies. 

For a child's heart I yearn, 

And for a child's eyes, 

To see, for a day and a night, 

What men disprize. 



IN THOUGHT 

Yon, in my thought of you, 
Are like a blossom on a tree ; 
And only I can touch you there, 
I, who at will am bird or bee ! 



FOOLISH PETALS ! 

foolish petals ! with the first gay breeze, 
To leave the green tranquility of trees ! 

8 




THE SUN-DIAL 

My roses cannot see the dial 's face ; 

My bees have their own creed; 

The silly birds that flit from place to place 

Will never learn to read ; 

Only I and you, idle and wise, 

Know how time flies ! 



OUR CONSIDERATE CAT 

Our cat for music has no ear, 
Yet sings despite. 
I guess she thinks we cannot hear 
By night. 

9 



CUP-BEARERS 

God makes us children first 

That we may fill 

Cups for the years of thirst 

On every hill, 

And pluck from every tree 

Fair fruits of Memory 

For the years that are to be. 



DEFLOWERED 

Deflowered, yet sweet with summer fragrances, 
O Garden ! you and I have memories, 
Though every leaf be fallen from our trees ! 



FLIGHT 

Time has a way 
Of banishing 
From each to-day 
Some lovely thing; 
From each to-day 
Some thing loved most 
Time thrusts away, 
'Tis spent, 'tis lost! 

Time has a way, alas!- 
Time has a way! 



10 



LATE 

It is soon by the clock, 

I need not go 

For an hour or so . 

It is soon by the clock, 
But alas, alas ! 
*' Half -past life'^ 
By my looking-glass! 



ETERNALS 

Impress of lightest things — 

Small hands impressed 

Upon my breast, 

A tiny head 

Upon my shoulder laid — 

These things 

Grave deeply their dear pattern and remain. 

Where fallen empires only leave a stain. 



CANDLES 

little cousins of the stars 

That shine in Heaven's holy tree. 

Shine brightly in this tree, our Christmas Tree ! 

And light our way to gifts withholden 

Only to gild them more divinely golden ! 

As shine the stars in Heaven's tree. 

Shine brightly in our Christmas Tree, 

little cousins of the stars ! 

11 



A SINGER 

Because he could not soar with birds 

Above the tallest trees, 

He made a little toy of words 

To mock their melodies. 

Because he could not mount that hill 
Abloom with stars by night, 
He made of rose and daffodil 
A lowlier heart 's-delight. 



TO GIVE YOU WONDER 

To give you once again. 

In this still hour. 

This coolness after rain, 

This leaf, this flower 

Within your hand, and your old wonderings: 

What is it flowers in flowers? What lives? 

What sings? 
Perhaps you know now ! Is that knowing worth 
Your wonder at the wonders of the earth ? 



THE SMALLER VOICE 

When March winds blustered, I believed 

The snowdrop 's truer prophesy ; 

And, lo, to-day the world's in flower for me ! 



12 



BUTTERCUP-BUTTERFLY 

I saw you, butterfly, 

Down by the brook that runs through the meadow, 

On a thick green stalk. 

Now you flutter where you will, 

On two yellow petals. 



THE DARK; WITH STARS 

The Dark was made too small to cover 

The beautiful blue Sky all over ; 

On either side of it there 's blue. 

The Dark is thin in places too, 

And lets the Day-light twinkle through. 



CROCUSES AND DAFFODILS 

The mother garden has a brood 

Of crocuses and daffodils ; 

I think she found them in the wood, 

And brought them homeward o 'er the hills. 

They shook and shivered in the wind. 
As little ducks and goslings do 
When they are only minutes old 
And everything is strange and new. 



13 



THE IMAGE-BREAKER 

A fool, 

Tossing a pebble in a pool, 
Cried: **Ah, stars, how 
Fares it, your shining, now!'* 



THE KEY 

What if the door shut-to 

Leave darkness there within ? 

How shall I hope to win 

The light of life anew ? 

Thou art the prison-door, and faith in Thee 

My candle and my key ! 



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